U.S. Sen. Gov. Rick Scott. Credit: www.flgov.com
Gov. Rick Scott — and the governors before him — has a job. That job is a public job, not a secret job.
Yet voters who hired Scott for the top political and government job in Florida for the most part aren’t being told what the governor is doing and where he is all day, according to a story by the Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times Tallahassee bureau.
The story (http://www.tampabay.com/florida-politics/buzz/2018/07/26/health-care-company-sues-to-get-rick-scotts-schedule/) lays out the extent to which Gov. Scott’s job is hidden from public view, and how a nonprofit foundation is calling Scott out on it – in a court of law.
The AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF MCO of Florida) filed a lawsuit In Leon County circuit court, accusing Scott of violating the state’s public records law and asking the governor to provide or at least review records that would show details about his meetings, events and whereabouts.
Here is an excerpt from the foundation’s spokeswoman, according to the Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times story:
“We have a right to know: Is he meeting with pharmaceutical companies, with for-profit insurance companies? Is he out playing golf, or is he representing the people?” asked Imara Canady, spokesman for the Aids Healthcare Foundation….”From where we stand, this is not an unfair request.”
What is unusual is that Gov. Scott has stated publicly that he wants to ensure transparency in government.
In a press release from 2012, Scott said:
“Since my first day in office, I have committed to making sure the citizens of our state have access to the information they need to hold their state government accountable,” Governor Scott said. “I invite Floridians to view my emails, as well as those of my leadership team, to learn more about how we are working to make Florida the best state for businesses to grow and expand and create jobs.”
In addition, Scott launched a website during his time in office to let the public know about state employee salaries and pension information.
But when it comes to the governor’s job, much is not known.
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